An 8-year-old cat that was brought to a veterinarian for a flea bath was instead euthanized, its owner said, and she wants others to be aware of what happened so no other pets are harmed.

Colleen A. Conlon made an appointment to have her cat, Lady, bathed at Broadway Animal Hospital after Dr. Muhammad Malik told her it would be the best way to combat the fleas, which were affecting the family's sensitive dog.

Lady was special to the family because she first belonged to Ms. Conlon's daughter, who died in a car accident in 2010. Her daughter had given her the cat about a year before the fatal accident, Ms. Conlon said.

She said she called about 15 minutes before the appointment to confirm and to check on the price for the flea bath.

Both Lady and Little Bit, another family cat, were to be bathed on Monday, so Ms. Conlon's son, Jesse, who's 24, brought Lady first, taking the cat carrier home to retrieve Little Bit.

“They had him fill out some paperwork; he said they were like index cards which had basic pet information,” Ms. Conlon said. “He filled it out and signed it and he left to go get Little Bit.”

But when Mr. Conlon returned with the second cat and said he'd take Lady home if she was finished with her bath, the vet surprised him when he asked, “You want the bodies?”

“At first he thought it was some cruel joke,” Ms. Conlon said, but the veterinarian told her son he'd signed the papers.

He quickly realized Lady was gone. Ms. Conlon said she could not bear to go back for her cat's body, saying she wanted to remember Lady alive and well.

Her son took Little Bit home and the family, grieving, wondered what to do.

“I don't think there was any malicious intent, but I do think it was negligent,” Ms. Conlon said. “I'm sure there are standards of practice they have to follow.”

She said she's spoken with other animal care experts who've told her flea dipping is “archaic” and most vets use topical flea treatments now, something she said the vet did not tell her family.

Ms. Conlon said she filed a complaint with the attorney general's office and plans to talk with the state Board of Registration.

Records show Dr. Malik was placed on probation by the state in 2005 as the result of treatment he provided for an injured dog in 2002. He did not comply with the standards in place, according to the state's website, and had to attend 25 hours of continuing education in radiology and orthopedics before his license was reinstated.

His current license expires in February 2013. A message left with a man who answered the clinic's emergency number did not yield a return call from Dr. Malik.

Ms. Conlon said she's still trying to come to terms with what happened and urged other pet owners to double-check any paperwork they're requested to sign.

“She was a beautiful cat and perfectly healthy,” she said. “She was the one who would know when I was sad and would climb in my lap.”

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